On the green in Del Mar, active-duty and former service members are rebuilding their confidence in numerous ways.

These wounded warriors are swinging hard on the driving range and casually talking about golf and their personal lives between putts and drives.

Golf is a platform of healing for these troops — a way for them to enjoy mental and physical rehabilitation. The vehicle is a nonprofit program called Operation Game On.

“I had zero interest in golf, but keep an open mind to the process,” said Gunnery Sgt. Rick Luna, a Marine for almost 19 years and currently part of Wounded Warriors Battalion West based at Camp Pendleton. “Now I love it. Since starting, I’ve bought my daughter clubs.”

Operation Game On offers free, customized golf sessions every week at the Del Mar Golf Center to troops and veterans from Wounded Warriors Battalion West in Camp Pendleton and Naval Medical Center San Diego.

“Every week, I say, ‘Is it Tuesday yet?’” said Sgt. Scott Michaels, also from the Wounded Warriors battalion. “(Operation Game On) has made me love the game so much more.”

He and other students have suffered combat-related disabilities — physical and mental — during military deployments. They come to the golf course on prosthetic legs. Some are battling post-traumatic stress disorder or recovering from traumatic brain injuries.

“One of the goals is to get them back to normal life. We rebuild confidence one swing at a time,” said Tony Perez, who founded Operation Game On in 2008 and has helped more than 300 students.

In particular, a key aim in rehabilitating troops with combat stress or PTSD is helping them to interact better with others and eventually reintegrate into society.

“Golf is a sport I can play alone, but we are in a group setting, which helps.” Luna said.

Operation Game On offers two eight-week courses — one for beginners, the other for intermediate players. The classes are taught by PGA professionals.

At the end of the beginners’ course, students are custom-fitted with golf equipment and apparel paid by the program. Supporters of Operation Game On include TaylorMade Golf Company, the Del Mar Golf Center, the National University System, Booz Allen Hamilton, the San Diego Business Travel Association and donations from individual backers.

The organization plans to host a golf tournament in August to raise funds to help more wounded warriors.

Each week, instructors teach the participants how to work around their injuries so they can play effectively.

“These are the best students,” said Chris Lesson, a manager at the golf center. “They are so humble.”

Matthew Clay, general manager at the same center, said: “Giving a little of what we have is the least we can do.”

Rehabilitation specialists and their patients like golf because it is typically a low-impact sport in a stress-free environment.

“Since golf is not physically demanding, it can easily be modified to work with any type of injury,” said Chris Ward, a reconditioning specialist from Camp Pendleton.

Marla Knox, a recreation therapist at Naval Medical Center San Diego, said “Golf is a medium in which therapists can accomplish our rehabilitation goals. With individuals with PTSD, I feel that it’s one of the most successful clinics to get them reintegrated again. They love it.”

Operation Game On has been a life-changing experience for some students.

Ray Dayawon, who went through the program, is a former Navy corpsman who was medically retired from the military last year.